(WestJet/PR Newswire) Airline teams up with Alberta's Clean Energy Technology Centre (CETC) -- WestJet today announced it has teamed up with Alberta-based, Clean Energy Technology Centre (CETC) to accelerate the development of sustainable aviation biofuel in Western Canada. "WestJet's collaboration with
Sustainability
Back TO HOMENot just CH3-CH2-OH: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Ethanol from Conventional to Advanced
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This month, we held a well-attended webinar on the markets and makers of ethanol from conventional to advanced. Here below is a slide deck presented on the day, from industry consultant Michele Rubino — whose latest Digest column
April 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Pacific Biodiesel Certified by Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance
(Energy Global Hydrocarbon Engineering) The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance has announced that it has certified Pacific Biodiesel, Hawaii's award winning and internationally recognised producer of renewable fuels and the only commercial biofuel producer in the state, and its Big Island Biodiesel
April 26, 2016 Read Full Article
Vermont Public Service Board Authorizes RNG Project
(Vermont Public Service Board/Biomass Magazine) The Vermont Public Service Board recently authorized the construction and operation of a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility on a farm in Salisbury, Vermont. The project will use primarily manure, corn silage, and brewery waste to
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Availability, Use, and Removal of Oil Palm Biomass in Indonesia
by Christopher Teh Boon Sung (International Council on Clean Transportation) Reviews the environmental impacts of removing palm residues from plantations and estimates how much of this resource could potentially be used for advanced biofuels in Indonesia. ICCT commissioned this study by Dr.
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Clariant’s Sunliquid Technology Price Competitive with Brazilian Sugarcane Ethanol
by Isabel Lane (Biofuels Digest) In Brazil, testing on Clariant’s sunliquid technology has confirmed that the cost per liter of cellulosic ethanol can achieve price competitiveness with sugarcane ethanol prices in Brazil. Clariant’s testing evaluated over 40 containers of sugargane
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
The RITE Bioprocess: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Green Earth Institute
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Green Earth Institute Co., Ltd. is focused on producing carbon-neutral biofuels and green chemicals derived from non-food biomass, such as leaves and stems of plants, instead of using food and feed crops. Using technology originally invented
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae & CCS: Incremental Heroes
(Algae Biomass Organization) As we noted in a recent post, Carbon Balance and Management journal published a study in late 2015 touting the emissions reduction potential of algae when used as animal feed. The authors highlight the tension between food
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae Eat up Oilfield Byproducts
by Adam Wilmoth (The Oklahoman/Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise) An oil-field waste product that poses environmental challenges and is linked to earthquakes could become a valuable economic resource if the efforts of Oklahoma State University researchers are successful. Biosystems and agricultural engineering professor Nurhan
April 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Time for Full Carbon Accounting
by Zoltán Szabó (Biofuels Digest) The sustainability aspects of transport fuels are in the spotlight this year in Brussels as a number of key files make their way through the process, namely the Energy Union package, the new Renewable Energy
April 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Indian Cellulosic Ethanol Technology Set for Debut at Demonstration Scale in Uttarakhand
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In India, the first demonstration-scale cellulosic ethanol plant will open this week at Indian Glycol Limited, Kashipur in Uttarakhand, with the Indian Minister of Science and Technology & Earth Sciences on hand for the ceremonies. The
April 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Congress Tells EPA Biomass Is Carbon Neutral. Now What?
by Brittany Patterson (E&E/Climatewire) Two amendments tucked inside the bipartisan energy bill that passed the Senate yesterday are elevating the question of whether biomass is a renewable energy source on par with wind and solar in the eyes of federal policy. Both
April 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Biodiesel with Used Cooking Oil and a Microwave
(American Chemical Society) "SiO2 Beads Decorated with SrO Nanoparticles for Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil Using Microwave Irradiation" -- Weaning cars and trucks off of gasoline and diesel made from fossil fuels is a difficult task. One promising solution
April 21, 2016 Read Full Article
GRFA Supports Adoption of National Policies to Reduce Emissions
(Global Renewable Fuels Alliance/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Bliss Baker, president of the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance, recently sent letters to the national leaders of 24 countries that highlighted biofuels as part of their Intended Nationally Determined Contribution plans at the recent
April 19, 2016 Read Full Article
UK Government Would Probably Abandon Biomass Policy If Not Committed to It by EU law, MPs Say
by Liz Gyekye (Biofuels International) A cross-party group of MPs has said that the UK government would probably abandon the EU’s biomass and policy if it was not committed to it by EU law. The group, part of the Environmental Audit Committee
April 19, 2016 Read Full Article
Carbon Farming – Agriculture’s Answer to Climate Change?
(Environmental and Energy Study Institute) On April 12, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) announced a new funding opportunity aimed at increasing the carbon storage potential of U.S. agricultural soils. Land-use, which includes agriculture, is responsible
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Proxy Carbon Pricing: A Tool for Fiscally Rational and Climate-Compatible Governance
by Alison Cassady and Gwynne Taraska (Center for American Progress) ... By putting a price on carbon, governments can correct the market’s failure to account for the climate costs of burning fossil fuels; in so doing, carbon pricing mechanisms
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
New EPA Stats Confirm: Oil & Gas Methane Emissions Far Exceed Prior Estimates
(Environmental Defense Fund) Higher Baseline Plus Year-on-Year Increase Make Sector the Top Emitter over Ag -- The oil and natural gas industry has moved into first place as the highest sources of U.S. methane emissions, according to a long-awaited inventory
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
What Do We Do about Palm Oil?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In the world of fuels, Neste Oil has backed away from palm oil in order to expand in the US market on more favorable terms, with palm’s lowly status after indirect land use change modeling
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
UPM Biofuels Gains ISCC PLUS Certification for Bio-Based Applications
(UPM Biofuels) UPM Biofuels has extended sustainability certification to cover all of its output streams from the Lappeenranta Biorefinery in Finland under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Scheme ISCC PLUS. UPM Biofuels produces renewable diesel and naphtha at the
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuels, Plastics and Drugs: Is This the Future of Our Farms?
by John Vidal (The Guardian) Climate change and poor returns on wheat and dairy drive rural revolution in ‘future-proof’ agriculture -- ... In Essex, David Eagle is growing acres of sea buckthorn, a salt-tolerant plant that grows wild in Siberiacorrect and
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
California Energy Commission Announces $17.3 M in Funding for Hydrogen Infrastructure
(FuelCellsWorks) The California Energy Commission recently released a $17.3-million solicitation (GFO-15-605) for hydrogen stations in California. Summary of the Funding: $17.3 million funding opportunity for light-duty hydrogen stations in California O&M funding for stations previously funded with CEC grant New station funding for I5 connector and
April 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Diversification of Feedstocks the Answer to De-Fossilisation: Panel
by Caroline Knight (Platts) Increasing the depth and width of feedstocks in the biofuels blend was needed if Europe was serious about lowering reliance on fossil fuels, members of a panel discussing the matter said Wednesday at Platts annual biofuels
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Crops of the Biofrontier: In Search of Opportunities for Sustainable Energy Cropping
by Stephanie Searle, Chelsea Petrenko, Ella Baz, and Chris Malins (International Council on Clean Transportation) Describes case studies of energy cropping in Europe in the context of advanced biofuel and bioproducts sustainability. -- European biofuel policy has been dominated by discussions
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
‘Algal Turf Scrubbers’ Help Clean Baltimore Harbor, Fuel Cars
(U.S. Department of Energy) Algae absorb nutrients and produce oxygen—ecosystem services that are vital to the health of impaired water bodies like the Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Energy Department-funded researchers are investigating how to mimic these natural services,
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Minnesotans Breathe Easy Thanks to Diesel
(Diesel Technology Forum) Minnesota can breathe a little easier with its fleet of clean diesel vehicles powered on blends of biodiesel fuel. -- In case you missed it, the Minnesota chapter of the American Lung Association (ALA) estimates that the air is
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Renewable Diesel Poses Viable Option
by Curt Bennink (ForConstructionPros.com) By now, most are familiar with biodiesel. It is a cost-effective and more environmentally friendly alternative to conventional petroleum-based diesel fuels when used in the correct applications. “Biodiesel improves lubricity when compared to Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New, Evolving Coproducts Require Regulatory Due Diligence
by Kurt A. Rosentrator (Distillers Grains Technology Council/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Altered, novel products may require new AAFCO definitions, GRAS affirmations. -- ... During the past two years, we have reviewed and commented on two key rulings in the Food Safety Modernization Act,
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New Coproduct Technology Produces Food-Grade Yeast
by Don McLellan (AFC Yeast/Ethanol Producer Magazine) Typically, in ethanol production the nonfermentable leftovers from the feedstocks and yeast are combined and sold either as wetcake or dried distillers grains for feed. But the yeast included in that sale of animal
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
DG-Based Resins Spring into Plastics
by Ann Bailey (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Nebraska’s Laurel Biocomposite produces biomaterials for thermoset applications. -- Laurel Biocomposite LLC is using distillers grains to create biomaterials that will be used in lawn and gardening products across the United States this spring. The
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Protein Packs A Punch in New Ethanol Coproducts
by Holly Jessen and Kassidi Andres (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Two companies gain traction in the quest to produce high-protein feed products from ethanol coproducts. -- Novita Nutrition and Nutrinsic Corp. approach producing high-value feed products from ethanol coproducts differently—Novita removes unsaturated
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Student Startup Turning Heads by Utilizing Biofuel Waste for Good
(Tennessee Today) ... Enter Tony Bova and Jeff Beegle, a pair of doctoral candidates in the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education, which is run jointly by UT and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The pair has developed a process to
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
New Alternative Jet Fuel Approved
(Federal Aviation Administration) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has played an integral role in development, testing and recent approval of a new alternative, environmentally-friendly, bio-based jet fuel, bringing the total number of these approved products for use in air travel
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Algae + Papaya = Biofuel
by Jan Suszkiw (US Department of Agriculture) ... At the Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo, Hawaii, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) plant pathologist Lisa Keith has spent the past 5 years fine-tuning conditions under which Chlorella
April 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Tesla And Other Tech Giants Scramble For Lithium As Prices Double
by James Stafford (OilPrice.com) Demand for lithium—the hottest commodity on the planet and the only commodity to show positive price movement in 2015—is poised to continue on its upward trajectory, becoming the world’s new gasoline and earning the moniker of
April 14, 2016 Read Full Article
University of Iowa Gets Landmark Air-Quality Deal Enabling More Biofuel Use
by Vanessa Miller (The Gazette) the University of Iowa has reached a first-of-its-kind agreement with state air quality regulators, allowing it to expand its use of biofuels and continue experimenting with environmentally friendly options. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued
April 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Methanol as a Chemical Platform: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Enerkem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on the markets and makers for chemical intermediates, from pilot to player. Here below is a slide deck presented on the day, from Enerkem Senior Vice President Tim Cesarek,
April 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Where’s the Algae?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... This week, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced an amendment that would provide tax credit support for carbon capture and utilization technologies that enable the conversion of CO2 into valuable products such as advanced biofuels,
April 13, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Planned for Spiritwood
by Keith Norman (Jamestown Sun) Plans for a $150 million cellulosic ethanol plant at the Spiritwood Energy Park Association industrial park are underway, according to Thomas Corle, founding partner of New Energy Investors, a Pennsylvania company. If built, the ethanol plant
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Resource Maximised Using DAF Treatment System
(Water Online) Cheshire biofuel plant sources DAF wastewater treatment from WPL; DAF system captures more fats, oils and grease for recycling; Treatment process helps client meet discharge consent A new energy plant in Cheshire, which processes waste fats, oils and greases (FOG) for
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Production Test Factory for Fossil Free Fuel Is Built in Bäckhammar
(Nordic Paper) RenFuel and Nordic Paper have signed an agreement to build a production test facility in Bäckhammar in the region of Värmland, in order to test manufacture an advanced biofuel based on lignin. The project has been granted 71
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Coconut Biodiesel Could Reduce Air Pollution Impacts
(The Fifth Estate) Coconut oil might be about to step off the beaches and out of the kitchen and into the tanks of Australian trucks and cars, with research released today showing that as a component of biodiesel, it may
April 12, 2016 Read Full Article
EU Must Increase Ethanol Use to Meet Targets
by Robert Wright (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ePURE) Renewable energy use in transport in all 28 EU members has been much less than projected in their National Renewable Energy Action Plans, with the gap widening. Actual ethanol consumption has remained relatively flat,
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
NGOs Set out Their Vision of How a Global Carbon Scheme for Aviation Can Align with Paris Ambitions
(GreenAir Online) The International Coalition on Sustainable Aviation (ICSA), an umbrella group of six NGOs, has launched a campaign called FlightPath 1.5 to ensure emissions from international aviation are capped and then reduced in line with the climate ambitions of
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Towards a Sustainable Future
by Sarthak Saraswat (The Hindu) Shell is providing engineering students a platform to design energy-efficient vehicles and reduce carbon emissions. The recent Shell Eco-marathon Asia in Manila saw a clash of the best minds. The atmosphere is charged with excitement. As
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Urban Air Initiative, Energy Future Coalition Challenge EPA Data on Ethanol’s Lifecycle Emissions
(Urban Air Initiative) Urban Air Initiative joined the Energy Future Coalition and the Governors’ Biofuels Coalition (GBC) in calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to recognize an overwhelming body of new evidence showing fuel ethanol can reduce carbon
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Letter: Biodiesel Fuel Part of a Great Life Cycle
by Jeff Lynn (The State Journal-Register) I farm in Cass County. I am proud my equipment runs on a biodiesel blend. The fuel is home-grown and better for the environment. I just came in from the field, where the work
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
[Opinion] Advanced Biofuels: Nothing's Perfect, but There's a Lot of Good
by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA/The Biomass Monitor) Is the glass half full or half empty? Is a feedstock sustainable or harmful to the environment? Is a conversion technology efficient or too complex? Is a familiar process too expensive or
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Growth Energy to participate in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) - The Auto Channel's Marc Rauch Part of the Presentation Team
(Growth Energy) This week, Jim Miller, Vice President and Chief Economist of Growth Energy will travel with Steve Bleyl, Executive Vice President of Green Plains Inc., and Doug Berven, Vice President of Corporate Affairs of POET to Chinese Taipei to
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Cool Planet Partners with J.R. Simplot Company to Distribute Innovative Cool Terra® Engineered Biocarbon™ Product to Improve Soil Health
(Cool Planet) Cool Planet is proud to announce a new distribution agreement with the J.R. Simplot Company, one of the largest privately held agricultural companies in the nation. Simplot will serve as a distributor for Cool Terra throughout the Western United States
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom-boom: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel’s Growth and Horizons
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on the boom on in Renewable diesel. Here below is a slide deck presented on the day, from Will Thurmond, President of Emerging Markets Online — highlights from the upcoming Drop
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Could Renewable Diesel’s Boom Be Cut Short by Feedstock Access and Availability?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Renewable diesel demand is booming, booming, booming. We’ve tipped it repeatedly in The Digest, not least with our March Madness webinar last week on “Renewable Diesel’s Boom”. Any doubts may well have been swept aside
April 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Japanese Team Cracks into Biofuel with Crab Shells
by Takuro Kusashio (Nikke) Researchers at Kobe University say they have found a possible way to turn bits of crustaceans and insects into ethanol for about the same cost as producing the fuel from corn. Chitin, the stuff that gives the
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Major Regulatory Milestones in First Quarter Set Joule Up for Commercial Success
(Joule/BusinessWire) EPA Qualifies Joule Ethanol Under Clean Air Act -- Joule, the pioneer of drop-in liquid fuels from recycled CO2, today announced major accomplishments in the first quarter of 2016 that are accelerating the commercialization of environmentally sustainable ultra-low carbon
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Towns to Vote on Whether to Burn Their Trash or Convert It into Biofuel
by Andy O’Brien (The Free Press) ... With PERC out of the picture, two nonprofits are bitterly competing for thousands of tons of midcoast waste. In one corner is the Municipal Review Committee, a municipal cooperative serving PERC’s 187 user communities and
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Growth Energy: More than 150 Million Miles Driven on E15
(Growth Energy/Ethanol Producer Magazine) An important milestone for higher ethanol fuel blends was reached recently. Major gasoline retailers working with Growth Energy have reported that over the past 12 months, using the U.S. average gas mileage of 20 miles-per-gallon, consumers
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Make Haste with Waste
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... (W)hen you compare them to homogenized, uniform, high-yield, purpose-grown energy crops. residues may be queer, but they are here. Not only available, but reliable, you can count on the fact that they will not
April 08, 2016 Read Full Article
Circling Opportunity
by Anna Simet (Biomass Magazine) Blue Sphere Corp.’s two-prong business development strategy in the global waste-to-energy industry is proving to be fruitful. -- ... Blue Sphere’s first two stateside anaerobic digestion (AD) projects have reached final stages of construction, and a
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Ethanol Completes the Puzzle
by Dave VanderGriend (Ethanol Producer Magazine/ICM/Urban Air Initiative) We have a tremendous opportunity to make the case in the Midterm Review in what EPA says will be a "data driven and transparent process." We can show how carbon reductions are indeed
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Boom Times: The Digest’s Multi-Slide Guide to Renewable Diesel’s Explosive Growth
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Boom times in Renewable Diesel” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day, from The Digest. The recorded version of the webinar can be accessed
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
The Problem With Hillary Clinton Isn’t Just Her Corporate Cash. It’s Her Corporate Worldview.
by Naomi Klein (The Nation) Clinton is uniquely unsuited to the epic task of confronting the fossil-fuel companies that profit from climate change. ... The Clinton camp really doesn’t like talking about fossil-fuel money. ... The very suggestion that taking this money could impact Clinton’s
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Seismic Report Links Earthquakes to Fracking
by Adam Klasfeld (Courthouse News Service) Officially linking a controversial natural gas-drilling method to earthquakes for the first time, the U.S. Geological Survey released a groundbreaking report documenting links between fracking and skyrocketing seismic activity. Released on Monday, the agency's "2016
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: A Brief History of Octane in Gasoline: From Lead to Ethanol
by Jessie Stolark (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) A cornerstone of U.S. environmental policy has been the reduction of harmful tailpipe emissions from cars and trucks. Thanks to EPA regulations of mobile sources, air pollutants have been reduced by millions
April 07, 2016 Read Full Article
Carbon Intensity Creates Opportunities
by Bernie Hoffman (K-Coe Isom/Ethanol Producer Magazine) The more proactive roles producers take in reducing carbon intensity, the more they will benefit as energy use reduction moves from an incentive to a requirement. -- ... Carbon intensity and carbon accounting have moved
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
California Energy Commission Grant: Altex & Unitel Partner to Demonstrate a New Technology for Making Synthetic Gasoline from Biomass
(Business Wire / Unitel Technologies) -Unitel Technologies announced that Altex Technologies has selected Unitel to provide engineering services to design and build a pilot system that will produce 1 BPD of synthetic gasoline from biomass. This project is funded by
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Importing to Meet California Demand
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) The U.S. imported a record volume of biomass-based diesel in 2015. ... This increase in imports is particularly interesting because 2015 was a year with no forward-looking $1-per-gallon blender’s tax credit, and, for 11 months
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Austrian Biodiesel Technology Provider Wins Award for BTL Process
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) BDI-BioEnergy International AG received an innovation award for its biomass-to-liquid technology, called BioCrack, March 29 during Austria’s State Awards Innovation 2016 ceremony held by the Federal Ministry for Science, Research and Industry. BDI was awarded
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Second Auction for Rotten Rice Attracts Interest from Private Sector
(Thai PBS) The second government auction for low-quality rice stocks has been met with positive feedback yesterday with the private sector making bids for a total of 240,000 tons worth over 1.5 billion baht. Sixteen bidders handed in their bids for
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE’s ARPA-E TERRA Projects Seek to Accelerate Sustainable Energy Crop Development
by Meghan Sapp (Biofuels Digest) In Washington, the DOE’s ARPA-E TERRA projects seek to accelerate the development of sustainable energy crops for the production of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. To accomplish this, the projects uniquely integrate agriculture, information technology,
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Carbon Levy Cash to Finance Biodiesel Refinery in Edmonton
(CBC News) Edmonton company promises cheaper, cleaner biodiesel on a commercial level -- An Edmonton based company plans to commercially produce a new biofuel capable of completely replacing diesel by the end of the year, at a lower cost than
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Up, Up & Away: The Top 10 Magic Moments in Aviation Biofuels in 2016
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia formed a partnership to investigate options for locally produced aviation biofuel. The trans-Tasman alliance partners are issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to the market to explore the opportunity
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Charting New Future for Wastewater Treatment
by Valerie Sarisky-Reed (Department of Energy) ... Unfortunately, the American Society of Civil Engineers Infrastructure Report Card gives the wastewater infrastructure in America a D-grade, and says “capital investment needs for the nation’s wastewater and stormwater systems are estimated to total $298
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Can Biofuel Crops and Cover Crops Coexist?
by Lisa Young (AgriNews) Cover crop and row crop biofuels systems can work together. They may have to as the Renewable Fuel Standard spurs increased demand for biofuels while many are calling for more controls on agricultural nutrient runoff. Researchers
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
CA Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Questioned: Study Raises Doubts About Long-Term Viability of Rule
by Todd Neeley (DTN/The Progressive Farmer) California's controversial low-carbon fuel standard may not be able to survive long term unless more biodiesel and corn-based ethanol are allowed into the state's market quickly, according to a new study. The analysis, conducted by
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Landfill Gas Project Opens in Orange County, California
(Orange County, CA/Biomass Magazine) Orange County 3rd District Supervisor Todd Spitzer recently joined with government, business and project development officials for a ribbon-cutting to ceremonially open the Bowerman Power Project renewable energy facility. The landfill gas-to-electricity plant at the Frank R.
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Energy Department Requests Information on Carbon Use and Reuse Technology Opportunities for the U.S. Power Generation Sector
(Department of Energy) DOE is considering more significant support for Research & Development (R&D) in carbon use. It is surveying technology approaches and seeking up-to-date information on technologies for beneficially using CO2 captured from fossil-fuel power plants. To complement existing
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Farm Bill Energy Programs Enable New Feedstock Production To Help Fuel the Biobased Economy
by Brent Erickson (Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Biofuels Digest) ... Congress changed mandatory funding for two key bioenergy programs – despite their tangible successes – through its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Omnibus spending bill. USDA’s Section 9003 Loan Guarantee Program and the Biomass
April 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Germans Give Thumbs up to Biofuels
(Biofuels International) More than two thirds of Germans view biofuels in a positive light, a new study suggests. The representative survey, conducted by market survey analysts TNS Infratest, questioned more than 1,000 German residents and found that the majority of
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
DOE BETO Updates Multi-Year Program Plan
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) The U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office has released the 2016 update of its Multi-Year Program Plan, which serves as an operational guide to help the BETO manage and coordinate its activities. The plan
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Air Canada Partners in Biojet Supply Chain Initiative to Introduce Sustainable Aviation Biofuel to a Canadian Airport
(Yahoo! Finance/Air Canada) Air Canada today announced it will participate in Canada's Biojet Supply Chain Initiative (CBSCI), a three-year collaborative project with 14 stakeholder organizations to introduce 400,000 litres of sustainable aviation biofuel (biojet) into a shared fuel system at
April 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Biofuel Producers with Poor Soil Should Consider Prairie Cordgrass
by Lauren Quinn (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Salt-affected land is not useful for producing food crops, but biomass producers could take advantage of salt-tolerant perennial grasses to make use of that land. --In a greenhouse study, germination of prairie cordgrass
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative Collaborating with Comet Biorefining to Develop Agricultural Biomass Supply Chain
(Comet Biorefining) Cellulosic Sugar Producers Cooperative, an Ontario-based farmer's cooperative, confirms that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Comet Biorefining to collaborate on the development of a sustainable agricultural biomass supply chain in southwestern Ontario. Comet Biorefining
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Making Lignin Pay: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Last week, we held a well-attended webinar on “Making Lignin Pay — Now, Soon, Never?” Here below are the slides presented on the day. The recorded version can be accessed here. READ MORE / MORE
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Gevo’s Alcohol to Jet Fuel Clears Key ASTM Hurdle
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) First commercial test flight with Alaska Airlines comes closer In Colorado, ASTM International Committee D02 on Petroleum Products, Liquid Fuels, and Lubricants and Subcommittee D02.J on Aviation Fuel passed a concurrent ballot this week approving the
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Redefining Renewable Biomass: A Policy Change with Cascading Outcomes
by Katie E. Moore-Drougas, Daniel T. Schwartz, Laurel James and Jim Durglo (Brookings Institution) ... One solution that has the potential to substantially curb greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a change in the Energy Independence and Security Act’s (EISA) definition of “renewable
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Corvallis Makes Switch to Cleaner, Renewable Fuel
(KEZI) About 40 city vehicles, including buses, will switch over to renewable diesel this summer --that's about one third of the city's vehicle pool. Renewable diesel burns cleaner and offers more power and better mileage while reducing the fleet's carbon footprint.
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
University of Tennessee Center Continues Efforts to Develop Low-Cost Biofuels and Bio-Based Products
(AZO CleanTech) A few years ago, petroleum-based products, including gasoline, were not available at affordable prices, unlike the case today. However, the prices are likely to return to the same level in the coming years. Due to this impending scenario, researchers
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
NexSteppe Inc. CEO Selected to Receive the 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award
(Biotechnology Innovation Organization/Businesswire) The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) announced today that President and CEO of NexSteppe, Anna Rath, has been selected by a committee of her peers to be the recipient of the 2016 BIO Rosalind Franklin Award. The Rosalind Franklin Award
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada Visits the BioCube™
(BioCube™) The BioCube Corporation was delighted to have The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada visit the BioCube™ at the GLOBE 2016 Conference in Vancouver last week. Held every two years in Vancouver, BC the GLOBE Series of
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
Son of Billion Ton: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to the USDA Billion Ton Report
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) The 2005 report, Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply (generally referred to as the Billion-Ton Study) was an estimate of potential biomass available within the contiguous United
April 04, 2016 Read Full Article
The Yield Dividend: 5-10X Increase in Sorghum Opening New Options for Africa?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In South Africa,, Chromatin and Zaad Holdings have entered into an alliance to produce and distribute planting seed for grain and forage sorghum throughout the African continent. In Africa, sorghum is used in the food and
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
Exploring the Viability of Small Scale Anaerobic Digesters in Livestock Farming
by Clare Lukehurst and Angela Bywater (IEA Bioenergy) This report explores the viability of small scale anaerobic digestion for livestock farming where there is a need to deal with animal manure and slurry in a manner that minimises the emission of greenhouse
April 01, 2016 Read Full Article
KLM Launches New Series of Biofuel Flights from Oslo to Amsterdam
(Newswire.com) KLM Royal Dutch Airlines today launched a series of around 80 biofuel flights from Oslo to Amsterdam operated with an EMBRAER 190. The flights are marking yet another step in the right direction towards phasing in jet biofuel in
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Electric Car Bill Will Do Little to Reduce Emissions
(Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association) Today’s Star Tribune reported of a proposal in the Minnesota legislature that calls for a financial incentive to boost electric or plug-in hybrid sales in the state to reduce emissions. According to the report, consumers would receive rebates
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Engage Key Social Concepts for Sustainability
by Christina C. Hicks, et al. (Science Magazine) With humans altering climate processes, biogeochemical cycles, and ecosystem functions (1), governments and societies confront the challenge of shaping a sustainable future for people and nature. Policies and practices to address these challenges
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Better Use of Entire Biomass of Willow
(Phys.Org/VTT Technical Research Center of Finland) VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Aalto University investigated how willow biomass can be utilised more efficiently. When processed correctly, willow is eminently suitable as a source of sugar in the production of
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Drop in, Trip Out, Turn On: The Digest’s 2016 Multi-Slide Guide to Drop-In Fuels
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Yesterday, we held a well-attended webinar on “Drop-In Fuels” Here below is the first slide deck presented on the day. We’ll have the remainder of slides tomorrow. The recorded version can be accessed here. READ MORE
March 31, 2016 Read Full Article
Sugarcane, Modified to Produce Oil, Promises Better Biodiesel
by Stephen Edelstein (Green Car Reports) ... Altering sugarcane to produce oil could yield much greater amounts of biodiesel than the current most popular crop, soybeans, say researchers from the University of Illinois (via Wards Auto). ... But they claim a genetically-modified sugarcane
March 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Finland Hopes for New Growth from Shrunken Forest Industry
by Jussi Rosendahl (Reuters Canada) It has created a modest 200 jobs in a Finnish forestry industry that has lost around 20,000 in the past decade, but UPM-Kymmene's new biofuels plant offers long-awaited growth and hope. The 180 million euro ($200
March 30, 2016 Read Full Article
Global Warming’s Terrifying New Chemistry
by Bill McKibben (The Nation) Our leaders thought fracking would save our climate. They were wrong. Very wrong. ... Meet methane, otherwise known as CH4. In February, Harvard researchers published an explosive paper in Geophysical Research Letters. Using satellite data
March 28, 2016 Read Full Article
ARA Delivers Game-Changing 100% Renewable Fuels to the Navy
(Applied Research Associates/ARA) No More Blending: 100 Percent Drop-In Renewable Fuel will Increase Energy Security for U.S. Military While Reducing CO2 Emissions -- The Navy is performing certification testing on neat, unblended ReadiJet® and ReadiDiesel® which will result in new
March 28, 2016 Read Full Article
GS Caltex to Build Plant for Biobutanol in H1
by Lee Seo-young (Korea Herald) GS Caltex will begin the construction of a plant for mass-production of biobutanol, a renewable biofuel for cars that can be used as a substitute for gasoline, during the first half of this year, the
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
Doing More with Less: The Digest’s 2016 8-Slide Guide to Stora Enso
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) We knew that Stora Enso has become awesomely serious about the advanced bioeconomy when news emerged in 2014 that the company had acquired Virdia for $33 million with additional potential payouts totaling approximately $29 million following
March 25, 2016 Read Full Article
SDSU Works toward Ground-Breaking Way to Fuel Planes
by Kelli Gerry (The Collegian) South Dakota State researchers are working to perfect a process that could allow them to turn mustard seeds into jet fuel for Navy fighter planes. If people like Bill Gibbons are successful, some West River farmers could
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
What’s up with Cellulosic Fuels: The Digest’s 2016 March Madness Guide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) This week, we conducted a webinar on the state of cellulosic fuels as part of our 2016 March Madness series. You can experience the recorded version of the webinar here. Meanwhile, here is the primary slide
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Aemetis Licenses Edeniq’s Cellulosic Ethanol Technology
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, Edeniq and Aemetis have entered into a License Agreement under which Aemetis will deploy Edeniq’s Pathway technology at its 60 million gallon per year ethanol production facility located in Keyes, California. Edeniq’s Pathway Technology integrates Edeniq’s Cellunator equipment with cellulase
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Greenbelt Resources CEO Visits Cuba -- Company Seeks Partners to Deploy Sustainable Energy Technology
(Greenbelt Resources/PR Newswire) As a result of recent changes to Commerce Department regulations by the Obama administration regarding trade with Cuba, the advanced modular technology available from Greenbelt Resources Corporation (OTC: GRCO), an innovator of sustainable energy production systems, is
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Developing Algae to Target Wastewater Contaminants
(Algae Industry Magazine) Sean Myers reports that University of Calgary researchers have found a way to program algae with bacterial genes to target unwanted chemicals and pharmaceuticals that end up in wastewater. Lee Jackson, scientific director of the Advancing Canadian
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Aemetis Nabs Exclusive California Rights to LanzaTech’s Advanced Ethanol Tech
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) In California, news arrived that Aemetis has acquired 12 years of exclusive rights in California (based upon achieving certain milestones) to LanzaTech’s technology for the conversion of agricultural waste, forest waste, dairy waste and construction
March 24, 2016 Read Full Article
Lincoln Park Professor Nets $450K Grant for Biofuel Research
by William Westhoven (Parsippany, NJ Daily Record) A Lincoln Park educator has been awarded a $450,000 grant to help fund continued research into the development of biofuel alternatives in certain regions of the United States. Montclair State University announced Tuesday that Pankaj
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
First Midwest Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Is Producing Tank-Car Loads of Fuel
by David Shaffer (Star Tribune) Poet Inc. is shipping fuel from Iowa facility, which could hit full output by year's end. -- Poet Inc., the nation’s first commercial-scale producer of cellulosic ethanol, is shipping the fuel from its plant in
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Science Teacher Plans First Coast-to-Coast Biofuel Flight
by Megan Elliott (Flying Magazine) First transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. -- High-school science teacher Ross McCurdy is planning the first transcontinental flight using aviation biofuel in a certified light aircraft. McCurdy will launch from North
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Is It the perfect Energy Solution? Where Solar, Carbon Capture and Bio Collide
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) One of these days your personal transportation system might look like this. A solar or wind energy facility generates renewable electricity, which is converted into a solar fuel using electrofuel technology that converts CO2 and
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Biodiesel Ranks First Among Fleets for Alt Fuel Use
(National Biodiesel Board/PR Newswire) North America's top fleets have spoken, and their #1 choice for greening their fleet operations is biodiesel. According to a new 2016 Fleet Purchasing Outlook study conducted by the NTEA - The Association for the Work
March 23, 2016 Read Full Article
Meet The New 'Tool' In Big Oil's Efforts To Scuttle Ethanol +VIDEO: An Open Letter to George "David" Banks
by Marc J. Rauch (The Auto Channel) I just finished reading your article "Renewable Fuel Standard Continues To Devastate," published in February on the High Plains Leader & Times website. ... In fact, your article looks suspiciously like an article that
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Cellulosic Ethanol Will Get Back Up
(RPA News) Our top story this month is a blunt reminder of how deeply U.S. policy uncertainty cut down and yanked back the progress of commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol over the past few years. The U.S. EPA’s epic indecision and sometimes indifference
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
A 21st-Century Investment in Productive, Sustainable Agriculture
by Margaret M. Zeigler (The Hill/Global Harvest Initiative) ... Held each year since 1973, National AG Day helps consumers, the administration and Congress understand how farmers grow safe and affordable food, and underscores the essential role of agriculture in maintaining both a
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
First-of-Its-Kind Renewable Biomethane Fuelling Station Opens in UK
(Bioenergy Insight) CNG Fuels, in partnership with the national grid, has unveiled a new filling station in the UK allowing vehicles to fill up on renewable compressed natural gas (CNG) directly from the high-pressure local transmission system. The new facility is
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
Wärtsilä to Deliver Nordic Countries’ Largest Biogas Plant to Produce Fuel for Buses
(Bioenergy Insight) Finnish energy solutions provider Wärtsilä has been awarded an order to supply the largest biogas liquefaction plant in the Nordic Countries to produce fuel for public transport vehicles. The supply contract was signed in December 2015, and is with
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
France Adopts Watered-Down Palm Oil Tax
by Cécile Barbière (EurActiv) French MPs have approved an additional tax on palm oil. But sustainably-produced oil and imports for biofuels will be exempt from the tax. -- France has increased the tax on palm oil imports, amid heated protests from
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
AVA-CO2’s Move to Replace Formaldehyde Shows the Endurin’ Allure in Furans
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... In June 2014 the 6th adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. This classified formaldehyde as carcinogenic and
March 22, 2016 Read Full Article
RSB Certification of Jatropha Oil from Manabi/Ecuador as Sustainable Fuel for Combustion Engines on Galapagos Islands
(Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) In the small country of Ecuador, all environmental risks of the production and consumption of fossil fuels can be observed by damages through oil exploration in the amazon rainforest and tank ship accidents close by Galapagos
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Major Impacts on U.S. Carbon Emissions Since the Great Recession
by John Miller (The Energy Collective) U.S. total carbon emissions increased to a historic high in 2007. During the 2007-09 Great Recession U.S. total carbon emissions declined rapidly due to a combination effective Government energy and carbon policies, and economic factors.
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
MSU, PHYCO2 Collaborate on Algae Growth Demonstration Project
(PHYCO2) PHYCO2, an emerging algae growth and carbon dioxide sequestration company, and Michigan State University (MSU) have announced a partnership designed to generate sustainable, clean energy sources through a new method to produce algae. The partnership will demonstrate the patent-pending PHYCO2-developed technology to sequester CO2, reclaim
March 21, 2016 Read Full Article
Bringing up the Throttle on Cellulosic Ethanol
by Holly Jessen and Susanne Retka Schill (Ethanol Producer Magazine) Although there are challenges facing the second generation ethanol industry, progress is being made -- U.S. EPA data shows 2.18 million cellulosic ethanol D3 RINs (renewable identification numbers) were generated in 2015.
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
House Hearing Attacks #RFS
by Cindy Zimmerman (DomesticFuel.com) The House Oversight Subcommittees on Interior and Healthcare, Benefits and Administrative Rules held a joint hearing Wednesday to ostensibly examine the Renewable Fuel Standard but was basically an attack on the law. EPA Office of Transportation and Air
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Future for Diesel Passenger Vehicles in U.S. Remains Positive Despite Recent Set Backs
(Diesel Technology Forum) While diesel passenger vehicles sales have decreased in recent months, there are some positive signs that indicate diesel sales will recover and expand in the coming years, according to Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Commentary: Implementing The Electric RFS
by Jim Lemon and Michael Lemon (BioCycle/Biogas Researchers, Inc.) Michael Lemon describes steps to move EPA forward on the RFS renewable electricity pathway on Tuesday, April 5 at BioCycle WEST COAST16. ... Steps to expand deployment of clean energy technologies like renewable
March 18, 2016 Read Full Article
Many Agree: Hyacinth's a Gas
by Reed Fujii (Recordnet.com) Water weed holds promise as biofuel -- Water hyacinth, the invasive water weed that carpets San Joaquin Delta channels in the warm season, choking out native species, degrading water quality, blocking recreational boaters and interfering with
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Study Raps Industry and Media for Hyping up New Technologies that Over-Promise on Sustainable Aviation
(GreenAir ONline) Industry and the media have hyped up new technological solutions that promise emissions reductions and so lead to an era of sustainable air travel but have yet to turn out to be feasible, finds a study by researchers
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Clean Fuels Shaping up as Fight of the Year in Sacramento
by Laurel Rosenhall (CALmatters/San Francisco Chronicle) A Harvard economist known globally for his work on climate change policy sat in the Sacramento office of the oil industry’s lobbying firm recently, making the case that California is fighting global warming the wrong way. California’s
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Using Algae-Based Agricultural Feed Could Reduce Atmospheric CO2 Concentrations to Pre-Industrial Levels, According to Peer-Reviewed Study
(Algae Biomass Organization/MarketWired) Use of Algae as Animal Feedstock Has All of the Benefits of Biomass Without Land Use Concerns -- A new peer-reviewed study has shown that widespread use of algae in animal feed could help limit the rise
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Soil Health Partnership Participation Explodes
by Lizzy Schultz (AgWired) Twenty-five more farms have joined in on the groundbreaking research effort from Soil Health Partnership (SHP) that could change the way farmers take care of their land. SHP works to test and measure farm management practices that
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Illegal UCO Cartels Hinder Biofuel Program: Observers
by Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) The illegal activity of passing off used cooking oil (UCO) as non-brand cooking oil (NBCO), which is allegedly becoming widespread on a massive scale in the country, may be disrupting the government’s biofuel program, observers
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
This New Plane Will Make the First Ever Carbon-Free Flight across the Atlantic Running on Sunshine and Algae.
by David Nield (Science Alert) A new plane powered solely by biofuels and solar energy is about to make the first zero-carbon-emission flight across the Atlantic Ocean. Seven years in the making, the 'Eraole' has been developed by French pilot, scientist,
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Endless Assault on the RFS
by Doug Durante (The Hill/ Clean Fuels Development Coalition) With regard to the recent opinion expressed by Rob Green of the National Council of Chain Restaurants, all I can say is gosh, what a better source for an objective assessment
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
EU’s 2030 Climate and Energy Objectives Will Be Missed without Biofuels
by Peder Holk Nielsen (Novozymes/EurActiv) If Europe is serious about its climate commitments, and if Europe wants to reduce its dependence on imported oil, then we need to increase the amount of low-carbon biofuels in the energy mix, writes Peder
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Malawi: Must Hands Over Ethanol Stoves to Farmers in KK
by Anastazio Mpumulo (AllAfrica) Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) has handed over ethanol stoves to 36 households in Nkhotakota to mark the beginning of an assessment where ethanol is tested at household level as a domestic fuel. Speaking during
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Report Quantifies Land Use Change Impact of Biofuels Consumed in the EU
(Ecofys) Land Use Change effects differ significantly for various types of biofuels consumed in the EU. Today, the European Commission has published a report by Ecofys, IIASA and E4tech that quantifies the ILUC emissions from EU biofuel consumption. ILUC, or
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
Building a Bioethanol Coalition in the Fight Against Climate Change
by Jan Koninckx (DuPont/Biofuels Digest) ... (O)ur call is clear: we must act with the utmost urgency as we work toward solutions to help slow man-made climate change. Transportation contributes a quarter of all man-made CO2 emissions, and it needs
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
R20 and WRI, a Roadmap to Zero Waste and Sustainable Investing
by James L. Stewart (California’s BioEnergy Producers Association/Technikon/Biofuels Digest) A major worldwide effort is underway through the non-profit organization R20 Regions of Climate Action to assist sub-national states and jurisdictions in developing projects that promote clean energy and combat climate change. Currently, R20
March 15, 2016 Read Full Article
BIODEX-SA First in Tunisia to Earn RSB Certification
(PRLog/Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials) BIODEX-SA, a company based in Tunisia, earned the Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) certification for the production of biodiesel. BIODEX-SA is the first company to collect waste oils and transform them into biodiesel in Africa, as
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Optimizing Biofuel Production from Algae Using CO2 Emissions
(American Chemical Society) ... Now, a team reports in ACS’ journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research an optimized way of producing biofuel from algae that also removes CO2 emissions from the environment. ... Eusiel Rubio-Castro and colleagues developed a mathematical model to determine the optimal
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Canadian Company to Produce New Kind of Biodiesel
(Biofuels International) Edmonton, Canada-based SBI BioEnergy plans to commercially produce a new biofuel capable of completely replacing diesel by the end of the year, at a lower cost than existing renewable fuels. SBI is in the final stages of building a
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Farmer-Owned Ethanol Plant Outlasts Many of Its Competitors
by Sean Pratt (The Western Producer) A small farmer-owned ethanol plant in northwestern Iowa has accomplished what many other companies have been unable to do. Quad County Corn Processors broke new ground July 1, 2014, when it became the first
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Scientists Turn to GMOs in Search of Better Biofuels
by Christina Maza (Christian Science Monitor) ... Now, researchers across the US are pouring resources into discovering whether it’s possible to produce sustainable biofuel through selective plant breeding and genetic modification. That technique, which has generated controversy in the food industry,
March 14, 2016 Read Full Article
Alternative Crops for Biofuel Gaining Attention
by Colleen Scherer (Ag Professional) ... A recent University of Illinois study is using genetic markers to identify early developmental traits in Miscanthus that correlate with future yield. ... On a practical level, the researchers saw strong positive correlations between biomass yield and
March 11, 2016 Read Full Article
Craft Breweries Bet on Sustainable Technology
by John Wiegand (MiBiz) ... The independent family-owned businesses also often take the long view on the investments, worrying less about immediate ROI in favor of finding workable solutions to persistent problems. That’s led to opportunities for scientists and entrepreneurs working to
March 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Biomass Goes from Golden Age to the Brink of Demise
by Marc Heller (E&E Publishing/ClimateWire) ... In California, once home to 66 biomass plants, about 30 remain in business, dashing the hopes of orchard growers looking for places to sell downed trees and branches. "When oil is less than $30 a barrel,
March 10, 2016 Read Full Article
Experimental Biomass Harvest a Step toward Sustainable, Biofuels-Powered Future
by Jeff Mulhollem (Penn State) The first harvest of 34 acres of fast-growing shrub willow from a Penn State demonstration field this winter is a milestone in developing a sustainable biomass supply for renewable energy and bio-based economic development, according to